Troubleshooting 1995 Ford F-350 that Lost Taillight Circuit After Trailer Wiring Short

Question:

this happened after I pulled a trailer with apparently some shorted out clearence and tail light wires. Checking I now have no power to the tail lights or trailer plug connectors tail light pin on my truck. Stop and turn signals all work , on truck and in the trailer plug. The fuse at the dash is ok and the funny thing is I have front park lights and cab clearence lights they work fine. Got any ideas?

asked by: Alle C

Helpful Expert Reply:

One of two things happened. Either you shorted out the truck's wiring before a fuse was able to blow or there is another fuse on that circuit that could have blown. Fusible links are often found on older vehicles. These can be hard to find but they are on the circuit to act as another fail safe in the event of a short.

The best place would be to start where the trailer wiring harness splices into your vehicle's wiring and then work your way back up the circuit looking for fusible links, inline fuses, or wiring damage and fix as necessary.

I am sure you have thought of this, but once you get the truck fixed don't hook up to that trailer again until you fix the shorts on it.

expert reply by: Jameson C